Geeky Catholic Dad

A few weeks ago, I was asked to lead a reflection on the Seventh Station of the Cross: Jesus Falls the Second Time. As we get closer to Holy Week, I thought I would share this reflection with you:

If you're even remotely familiar with J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings , you know that Sauron is the bad guy. He's basically evil personified. So what could we possibly learn about holiness from him? "Just do the opposite of what Sauron does, and you'll be a saint?" Well, that's not exactly what I'm talking about.

As a lifelong Catholic and an almost-lifelong Star Wars fan, it's no surprise (to me at least) that I see a lot of Christian themes in Star Wars. By no means is Star Wars an overtly Christian work; on the contrary, it draws its spirituality from many religions, both Eastern and Western. But George Lucas did intend his story to have themes of good and evil. "I wanted it to be a traditional moral study, to have some sort of palpable precepts in it that children could understand." So while I wouldn't recommend taking Star Wars as your sole source of morality and spirituality, there is some truth to be found in that galaxy far, far away.

Source: Wikimedia Commons A few weeks ago, during an RCIA preparation class, we were discussing the Biblical account of the fall of Adam and Eve. A catechumen - we'll call him Steve - asked me, "Isn't God responsible for everything that happened? He put the tree there." This is an excellent question, not because it represents a flaw in the Christian worldview (spoiler alert: it doesn't), but because it invites us to take a closer look at the nature of free will, and at God's Divine Providence.